The University of British Columbia
UBC - A Place of Mind
The University of British Columbia Okanagan campus
UBC Okanagan News
  • Home
  • Services for Media
  • Faculty and Staff
  • Submit Your Story
  • Events
  • Contact
Home / 2011 / June / 07 / Education’s unsung heroes help prepare tomorrow’s teachers

Education's unsung heroes help prepare tomorrow's teachers

By Patty Wellborn on June 7, 2011

More than 180 Central Okanagan teachers sponsor student teachers in the classroom

Over the past several months, more than 350 teachers in elementary and secondary schools throughout BC's Southern Interior – including more than 180 Central Okanagan teachers – have shared their classrooms with student teachers from the Faculty of Education at UBC's Okanagan campus.

Student teachers are required to have nine to 13 weeks of practical, in-class experience to obtain teaching certification. Sponsors have opened their classrooms to more than 250 student teachers in the Central Okanagan, North Okanagan-Shuswap, Vernon and Okanagan-Skaha districts, as well as schools in Rossland, 100 Mile House, Princeton, Kamloops, and as far afield as Sooke on Vancouver Island.

"It is in the schools, working with real students and experienced sponsor teachers, that our teacher candidates begin to bring to life education theory," notes Education professor Carol Scarff, Undergraduate Programs Coordinator. "It is in the classroom that they begin to develop that sense of practical wisdom and ethical know-how."

The connections between student teachers and their sponsors are arranged by Harold Derksen and Anne MacLean, School Experience Coordinators with the Faculty of Education.

"The practicum is mandatory for certification and relies heavily on the benevolence of sponsor teachers," says MacLean. "It really is a generous thing they do -- we have some sponsor teachers who take students every year or every other year."

The impact of sponsor teachers can be extraordinary, says MacLean.

"Students are different people when they have finished their practicum," she says. "They have a clearer sense of purpose and an increased passion for making a positive contribution in the lives of young learners.  It is often during practicum that our student teachers shift from being students to being teachers."

While the practicum is a crucial part of a new teacher's experience, the teachers who sponsor and mentor them usually don't get much recognition.

"Really, they are unsung heroes," Derksen says. "We call them future shapers – they're investing in the next generation of teachers."

Derksen explains that many professions and trades have apprentice programs where wisdom and knowledge of experience is translated to those with less experience.

"This is especially true in a profession such as teaching," says Derksen. "The vital link between theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge is the sponsor teacher. Student-teacher programs depend on the expertise and wisdom of competent classroom teachers to provide practical experience for teaching apprentices. We have been tremendously fortunate to have such great relationships with so many wonderful sponsors and mentors throughout the province."

The Faculty of Education offers sponsor teachers UBC library privileges and a discount at the UBC bookstore as a way of acknowledging their hard work.  Sponsors also receive a certificate of a limited edition print. And next fall, Derksen and MacLean hope to offer several professional development opportunities for sponsor teachers.

Central Okanagan schools with sponsors this year:

School District 23 - Central Okanagan
Anne McClymont Elementary 5
A.S. Matheson Elementary 2
Bankhead Elementary 3
Belgo Elementary 3
Black Mountain Elementary 3
Casorso Elementary 2
Chief Tomat Elementary 2
Chute Lake Elementary 2
Davidson Road Elementary 3
Dorothea Walker Elementary 2
Ellison Elementary 3
George Pringle Elementary 2
Glenmore Elementary 3
Glenrosa Elementary 2
Helen Gorman Elementary 3
Hudson Road Elementary 1
North Glenmore Elementary 3
Oyama Elementary 1
Peachland Elementary 1
Pearson Elementary 3
Peter Greer Elementary 2
Quigley Elementary 3
Raymer Elementary 3
Rose Valley Elementary 3
Rutland Elementary 2
Shannon Lake Elementary 4
South Kelowna Elementary 2
South Rutland Elementary 3
Springvalley Elementary 3
Watson Road Elementary 3
Constable Neil Bruce Middle 4
Dr. Knox Middle 5
George Elliot Secondary 12
Glenrosa Middle 9
Kelowna Secondary 11
KLO Middle 6
Mount Boucherie Secondary 20
Okanagan Mission Secondary 7
Rutland Middle School 12
Rutland Senior Secondary 11
Springvalley Middle 9

 

Private Schools
Aberdeen Hall 4
Heritage Christian 1
Kelowna Christian 3
St. Joseph Elementary 5

-- 30 --

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Posted in Media Releases | Tagged Faculty of Education, Learning

  • Previous
  • Next

Contact

Patty Wellborn
Assistant Communications Coordinator
University Relations

The University of British Columbia
Okanagan campus
Tel: 250-807-8463
E-mail: patty.wellborn@ubc.ca

See other posts by Patty Wellborn

UBC Okanagan Events

  • PowerConcepts: Microsoft Project
    Source: Personal and Professional DevelopmentHappening on Dec 16
  • PowerConcepts: Outlook Strategic Management w/OneNote
    Source: Personal and Professional DevelopmentHappening on Dec 16
View More Events

Archives

UBC's Okanagan News
Okanagan Campus
3333 University Way
Kelowna, BC Canada V1V 1V7
Find us on
  
Back to top
The University of British Columbia
  • Emergency Procedures |
  • Terms of Use |
  • Copyright |
  • Accessibility
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.